Ferncroft CC Experiments with New Food Waste Solution

Ancient Japanese composting method Bokashi was put into use last month at the Middleton, Mass., club and is touted as convenient and odor-free.

Ferncroft Country Club is trying out a new food waste solution through an obscure Japanese composting method known as bokashi, the Associated Press reported.

The private Middleton, Mass., club is using the composting method to recycle 4 tons of food waste each year through an ancient Japanese practice that ferments food waste by mixing it with microorganisms that also suppress the smell.

Affinity Management, owner of Ferncroft, decided to start using the process last month after a successful tryout at one of its Maryland courses, the AP reported.

The primary benefit of bokashi is that it does not produce odors as food is broken down, allowing clubs to combine meat, dairy and oils in compost, eliminating the waste sorting that can be impractical for large establishments. The waste is fermented in a sealed container and later buried.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not list bokashi as a composting method and has no information on the process.

Leanne Spaulding of the U.S. Composting Council questioned the process as a gimmick, citing no credible research and wondered whether there would be enough space in cities for the soil produced by bokashi, the AP reported.

The EPA reported that the U.S. generated more than 34 million tons of food waste in 2010, which accounts for 14 percent of all solid waste in landfills or incinerators.